Buy a shop

Two days later, Fu Zhi Qiao took Cui Mama and De Fu out. Yin Xing pouted beside her, looking pitiful as if she was about to be abandoned. Fu Zhi Qiao amusedly teased her, "Yin Xing, be good. I'll take you out after I figure out the situation here."

There was no other way; Yinxing was two years younger than her, and she was unfamiliar with Qingzhou. To avoid being bullied like last time, it was better for her to bring someone more reliable with her.

Compared to Yuzhou, the roads in Qingzhou City are exceptionally wide.

In the very center of the city, there was a main road about a kilometer long and thirty meters wide, leading directly from the city gate to the government office. This road was called the "Imperial Road," and it was said to have been specially built to defend against foreign enemies. In times of war, large numbers of soldiers could gather here to await orders and defend the city gates to prevent the enemy from entering.

This imperial road divides Qingzhou City into north and south sections. Officials and wealthy merchants mostly reside in the north, while the south is a commercial and residential area.

The city's streets crisscross like an irregular chessboard, with all sorts of shops, restaurants, and inns lining both sides. The further you go in, the more lively it becomes, with many roadside vendors soliciting customers, creating a vibrant and bustling atmosphere.

The last time she went out was to scout out the situation, and today she went out to look for a shop. Although she has enough money, there will always come a day when she runs out of money.

The group walked around several streets but couldn't find a suitable one. Well-run shops wouldn't be rented out easily, and she didn't like some shops with outdated facilities or poor locations. Doing business is something that can't be rushed, so Fu Zhi Qiao kept a calm mindset.

After walking around several streets, everyone was a bit tired, so they found a restaurant to rest and fill their stomachs.

The waiters were very quick-witted; after looking at Fu Zhi Qiao's attire, they kept recommending expensive snacks and teas to her.

The dishes were served quickly. Fu Zhi Qiao wanted Cui Mama and De Fu to sit down and eat with her, but the two of them resolutely refused to sit with her. Cui Mama and De Fu were pure ancient people who had served in the Fu family for so many years, and the concept of hierarchy was ingrained in their bones. Fu Zhi Qiao, a pure modern person, did not force them and let them eat separately.

After eating and resting for a while, Fu Zhi Qiao saw a crowd gathered around a shop not far away, and there was a lot of noise.

"Let's go take a look."

*

Inside the Gao family's wine shop.

"Gao Hai? Gao Hai, get out here right now!"

"Where's the money? Give me the money right now!"

Six or seven burly men strode in menacingly. As they spoke, the leader reached out and grabbed a wine jar from the counter, smashing it hard on the ground. His underlings followed suit, smashing the jars as well, spilling wine all over the floor.

The people buying wine in the shop were frightened and ran out.

Seeing this, Old Gao shouted, "Who are you? If you cause any more trouble, I'll call the authorities!"

Six or seven tall men stood at the entrance, each with a fierce and menacing look, exuding a strong sense of oppression. They were thugs employed by the gambling den, specializing in collecting debts owed to them by debtors; commonly known as debt collectors.

"Paying back debts is a matter of course. I'm not afraid even if the King of Heaven himself comes!" The burly men were fearless. They must have connections and influence to be able to run a gambling den. As long as no one gets killed, the gambling den owner can protect them.

Those who can open gambling dens usually have powerful backers, and ordinary people can't afford to mess with them.

Old Gao's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stepped out from behind the counter and bowed. "Gentlemen, are you mistaken? My shop has no outstanding debts."

"Is Gao Hai your son?" a burly man with a thick beard asked. "Your son owes four hundred taels of silver in our Chang Le Fang. Tell him to come out and pay the money!" As he spoke, the burly man took out an IOU and slammed it on the table.

Upon hearing the number, Old Lady Gao's face changed color, and her voice trembled as she asked, "How much is owed?"

Old Gao frowned as he looked at the IOU, remaining silent.

Hearing the sounds of his shop being smashed in the backyard, Gao Hai lifted the curtain and stared intently at the person in front of him: "You're talking nonsense, I clearly only owe eighty taels."

The leader sneered and said, "The eighty taels was from last month. With interest, you now owe us four hundred taels."

Interest compoundes, doubling and multiplying—isn't that just interest money?

Everyone knows that you shouldn't get involved with interest money; once you do, there's no turning back. Many people end up mortgaging their wives and daughters to pay off their debts.

Old Gao's head was buzzing. He was running a small business, and four hundred taels was no small sum. He didn't have that much money at home, especially since he had just bought a batch of grain to brew wine, and he didn't have more than forty taels of cash on hand.

The neighbors outside were also gossiping. The Gao couple were honest people who had been selling wine on this street for many years. People living nearby would come to buy wine from them. They never expected that their son, Gao Hai, would get involved in gambling and lose four hundred taels of silver. This…

"Gao Hai, as long as you pay back the money now, our debt will be wiped clean." The big man slammed his hand on the counter.

Old Gao was so disappointed in his son that he slapped him across the head and yelled, "What sins did I commit in my past life to give birth to such a disobedient son? Take him away, and I'll pretend I never had him!"

"Old man, you..." Old Mrs. Gao knew he was just saying it in anger, but she still couldn't accept the fact. She clenched her fist and punched Gao Hai, "You unfilial son, who told you to gamble, huh?"

Gao Hai wept bitterly, "Mother, I was wrong."

He was dragged in by a friend who was traveling with him. He hadn't intended to gamble, but he couldn't resist his friend's persuasion. He won a couple of small bets at first, but then he started betting bigger and bigger, eventually losing all his winnings. He was blinded by greed and only thought about how to recoup his losses, so he borrowed money from the gambling den. He regretted it after he sobered up, but it was too late; he had already signed the IOU.

Gao Hai realized, "Mother, they set me up." Maybe the people who lured him to gamble were from the gambling den.

"Shut up!" Old Gao said, afraid that he would provoke these people again.

The burly man didn't care about any of that. He grabbed Gao Hai by the clothes, lifted him up, and punched him hard. "Stop talking nonsense! I'm telling you now, you have to pay back those four hundred taels!"

He punched Gao Hai twice, then turned to the old man and said, "If you can't pay back the money, we'll sell Gao Hai into hard labor. You can choose between money and your son's life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several of his underlings surrounded Gao Hai and held him back.

Gao Hai took several solid punches, howling in pain, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! Dad, save me!"

Old Mrs. Gao, unable to bear seeing her son being beaten, collapsed to the ground, crying out, "Stop hitting him! Please, stop hitting him..."

Old Gao was furious. "Where did I get the money? You've gambled it all away!"

"I think your shop is worth a couple of dollars. If you really can't come up with the money, you can use your shop and the things in it to pay off your debt."

Old Gao was both angry and furious, but he had no other choice but to smile apologetically and say, "Good sirs, don't be angry. I will definitely return the money to you. It's just that I really can't come up with the money right now. Could you give me a few more days?"

The burly man pondered for a moment: "You seem like an honest man. It'll only be two days. If you can't come up with the money after two days, pack your things and get out of here!" Before they left, they also took several jars of wine with them. In addition to the ones that were smashed and damaged, Old Gao suffered a considerable loss this time.

The farce ended, and the onlookers gradually dispersed.

Old Gao sat in the house sighing, while Old Lady Gao was applying medicine to Gao Hai, wiping away tears as she did so. "Two days, only two days left. Where will we get the money to pay them back? What are we going to do? Waaah... Why is my life so miserable!"

"Father, Mother, it's all my fault." Gao Hai was also filled with remorse. It was all his fault for being so easily swayed and lacking in willpower. If only he hadn't gone to the gambling den with that person.

"Old man, you have to think of something!"

"What can we do? Who can lend us that much money all at once?"

Old Mrs. Gao then remembered her family's warehouse: "Old man, we still have some wine and grain..."

"It's not enough. Even if we sell the shop, it won't be enough." Old Gao said this in anger. Selling the shop would actually be enough. The shop and the small courtyard behind it could fetch about two or three hundred taels. Adding the remaining wine and grain in the shop, he estimated that they could scrape together four hundred taels.

However, if they sell the shop, they won't even have a place to live.

Two days, only two days left. In such a short time, who can buy the shop and the yard together? Moreover, with the trouble caused by the debt collectors today, outsiders know that there is a dispute over his shop, making it even more difficult to sell.

Old Gao's real name is Zhou Yiming. He is about to turn forty. The Gao family wine shop was passed down from his ancestors and he has run it for most of his life. Now it has fallen into ruin in his hands. He has let down his ancestors!

But Gao Hai is the only son of the Gao family, and the family line still needs him to carry on. On one hand, there is the family business of his ancestors, and on the other hand, there is his only son. Both are his flesh and blood, and the old man Gao is caught in an unprecedented struggle.

Children are debts owed from a past life. No matter what, Gao Hai is his son, and he can't just stand by and watch him be sold into hard labor.

Old Gao gritted his teeth; the only option now was to sell the shop.

Money can be earned back, but a person is gone forever.

"If there's really no other way, let's just give the shop to them." Old Gao looked down at the wine jar on the ground, as if he had aged several years in an instant.

"Father, no! This shop is the culmination of your years of hard work. If we sell it, how will we live?" Gao Hai cried out, kneeling on the ground.

Old Gao closed his eyes wearily: "What else can we do? The person is gone, the home is gone, what's the point of keeping the shop?"

Upon hearing this, all three fell silent, with only the sound of Old Lady Gao sobbing audible.

Fu Zhi Qiao never expected that her trip to the shops and teahouse would lead to a performance.

Seeing the rows of wine jars in Gao's shop, Fu Zhiqiao had an idea. Last time she encountered someone selling fermented rice, and now she's run into someone selling wine. Could this be a sign from heaven?

She stepped into the house and said, "I can help you pay off your debts."

Fu Zhiqiao's decision to buy the shop was entirely impulsive.

When Old Gao saw that she was a woman, his eyes flashed with surprise and doubt. When he heard her say that she wanted to buy a shop, and seeing that the fabric of her clothes was of very good quality, he guessed that she must be a young lady from a wealthy family, and did not take it to heart: "If you want to buy a shop, please have your elders come over to discuss it."

Fu Zhiqiao ignored his question and instead asked, "Are you planning to sell this shop to pay off your debts?"

Old Gao remained silent.

"Boss Zhou, the debt of four hundred taels might not even be covered by the price you get from selling the shop. Besides, if you're in a hurry to sell, you might not get a good price. Why don't you sell the shop to me instead? What do you think, Boss Zhou?"